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Sonhan Revolution
The Sonhan Revolution is the name given to a political and military event that resulted in the fall of the Principality of Sonhan, and her ancient monarchic traditions, and in its place, the rise of a weak, fragmented and ineffectual republican government. History By the dawn of the 33rd Century AC, Sonhan had grown prosperous and wealthy. Her port capital, Yahtlor, was one of the greatest ports on Oryndiil, and trade with other nations, especially the Casorian Empire, had allowed wealth to flow into the state. However, this wealth never found its way to the poor, or even the middle classes. The corrupt Sonhan aristocracy passed numerous laws, that had the result of the vast majority of the wealth staying within their hands. As the populace grew more impoverished, and the nobility became increasingly oppulent, tension and civil unrest began to mount. The Feast of Bones The so-called "Feast of Bones" refers to the act that started the revolution; during the midst of a horrendous famine, in 3231 AC, word reached the citizens of Yahtlor that the monarchs and many of the high nobility were eating extravagent dishes in absurd quantities, and letting even more of it go to waste, while the commoners starved and died. An angry mob formed, and stormed the Sonhan Royal Palace, The guards defected to the mob, opening the gates and allowed the enraged masses inside. The mob lay waste to the palace, murdering, burning and stealing everything or everyone they found. Among the victims was the current High Prince, Sogdiaxes I, and all of his immediate family. The only royal survivor was the High Prince's distant cousin, Tamakish Khamu, who fled to the north and established himself as the rightful heir. The Civil War The Sonhan Civil War was the main phase of the revolution, and by far the longest. Lasting from 3231 AC, until the death of Tamakish and his entire family in 3254 AC, the civil war brought ruin and death to Sonhan. Many perished in slow, grinding battles, and men from both sides were thrown into an almost endless meat grinder at the front lines. Eventually, the republican forces seemed to be emerging as the victors, and it was at this turning point that at Royal Guards of the High Prince slew him and his entire family in cold blood, then handed their bodies over to the rebels to be strung up and defiled in the streets of Yahtlor. Aftermath The revolution reduced the once wealthy and urbanised nation of Sonhan to a smoking, dessicated waste. Famines became increasingly common, as too many farmers were killed in the war to keep feeding the survivors. No traders called port in Yahtlor, and Horu and Ivaia, Sonhan's neighbours, had tried to keep a land blockade in force to prevent a flood of refugees. The government was just as hopeless as the nation; a powerless body, capable of doing very little, and prone to frequent collapses from external and internal sources. The nation remained divided, as many differing groups had fought under the republican banner. Hostility between the groups erupted almost as soon as the Royalists were defeated, and there have been 31 civil wars, both major and minor, within Sonhan since the end of the revolution. Category:Significant Event